Then, when using good handloads with the heaviest bullets for the .35 Whelen, and a 300-grain Woodleigh with the .338-06, both should come very close to the .375 H&H?
My 2 cents.
(Ray, looks like I quoted your original statement before you edited your message.)
Well, it's all a matter of degrees. The .35 Whelen gets close to the 9.3x62 and, in turn, the 9.3x62 gets close to the .375 H&H.
But, I don't think the .338-06 and the .35 Whelen can come as close to the .375 H&H as the 9.3x62 can. I remember reading an article my Finn Aagaard where he got 2250 fps with a 300 gr Barnes Original bullet in the .35 Whelen. I have no idea what velocity a .338-06 could get with a 300 gr bullet but my GUESS would be a max of around 2200 fps.
And, while the 9.3x62 has a case very similar to the .30-06 (and the .338-06 and .35 Whelen), the 9.3x62 does have the shoulder a little further forward and the diameter at the shoulder is also a little greater which gives the 9.3x62 a little more powder capacity than the .338-06 and the .35 Whelen.
BTW, I have rifles in .338 Win Mag, .35 Whelen, 9.3x62 and .375 H&H. I like all of them. Though, of the four, I have only hunted with the 9.3x62 and the .375 H&H. (Plains game in South Africa. I've never hunted any type of dangerous game in either North America or Africa.)
My point is that "being close" is not the same as being just as or more powerful. ...
Yeah, I'd agree with that. IMHO, the 9.3x62 is "more gun" than the .35 Whelen. And, the .375 H&H is "more gun" than the 9.3x62. More powder capacity and bullet weight wins out every time over a smaller cartridge when it comes to generating "horsepower". But, I think it's amazing how close the 9.3x62 can come to the .375 H&H (and the .338 Win Mag).
Cheers!
-Bob F.
